PASIR GUDANG: A family who recently lost loved ones to a road accident here backs harsher penalties for drink-drivers and red-light runners.
For Ramlah Kasiran, 56, the pain of losing her son, Mohd Ridzwan Mohd Rudi, 37, and his wife, Linda Mohd A. Aziz, 35, in the accident on Nov 16 is still raw.
The couple were on their way home on a motorcycle when they were struck by a car allegedly driven by an allegedly intoxicated driver accused of beating a red light on Jalan Besar-Jalan Mesjid here.
Ramlah said the couple's five children were now orphans while she lost a loving son and daughter-in-law.
She welcomed a proposal to revise traffic laws to ensure motorists who drink-drive and beat traffic lights were hauled to court instead of merely paying fines.
"I hope the person who made orphans out of my five grandchildren would look into their eyes and see the pain he had caused," she told the New Straits Times yesterday.
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Federal Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department Director Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri had said police wanted harsher penalties for red-light violations and drink-driving, as they were on an uptrend and caused needless deaths.
He said the force proposed that offenders be hauled to court to ensure accountability and deter reckless behaviour.
Drink-driving is an offence under Section 45 of the Road Transport Act.
Those found guilty of operating a vehicle while intoxicated will be fined between RM1,000 and RM5,000, and can be jailed up to two years or have their licence revoked for at least two years.
Beating a red light is an offence under Section 79 of the same Act, which provides for a maximum compound of RM300 and a court fine not exceeding RM2,000.
Ramlah said for families who have lost loved ones to reckless drivers, the move lent hope for justice, and described the proposal as long overdue.
"Paying a fine is no punishment for taking someone's life. The drivers must be brought to court and held responsible for their actions."
She also suggested that the law take into consideration how many victims were affected by a driver's recklessness.
She said the children were coping well enough with the death of their parents and had resumed classes. However, she sometimes finds them staring into space or crying quietly.
"I myself have yet to recover from the loss. I can only imagine the pain and trauma they are enduring."
Ramlah and her husband, Mohd Rudi Abdul Rahman, 61, are taking care of their grandchildren. Ramlah is a housewife with no stable income and Rudi is a supermarket forklift driver.
She said they hoped justice would be served and that the perpetrator would face appropriate punishments.
Mechanic S. Nageshvaran, 34, has been charged with driving while having a blood alcohol level beyond the legal limit, leading to the deaths of Ridzwan and Linda.